Turbine.



C. P. & 0. J. GROMMETT.

' TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1913.

1, 1 10,423,, v Patented Sept. 15, 1914 \Y ik E5555. Ifp/eqlzuy \Ii w l the expansion of an aeriform chamber 12 having a UNITED STATES. PATEN FEE/lit.

CHARLES I CEOMMETT AND ORRIN J. CROMMETT, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, light.

Application filed November 10, 1913. Serial No. 800,050.

To all whom it may-concern:

'theffollowing is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to single stage impulse turbines impelled by fluid such as air, carbon dioxid, sulfur dioxid or ammonia, under pressure, and it has for its object to provide a turbine of this class in which the working agent or gas under pressure expands at and Within the periphery of a rotor and is exhausted from opposite sides of the rotor, the gas impelling the latter and thus doing Work at the expense of heat taken from the gas While :passing through the rotor.

The invention is embodied in a turbine adapted for use as a part of an apparatus for producing liquid oxygen. The working agent-may be highly compressed and very cold air discharged against the blades of the rotor and allowed to expand While passing from the periphery toward the axis of the rotor, the expansion resulting in a further reduction of temperature and in the liquefaction of a considerable part of the oxygen, provision being made for the separation of the liquefied oxygen from the y .cured in slots formed tor their recs tron unliquefied oxygen and other gases, in the casing of the turbine.

The invention consists in the improvements which; o will now proceed to describe and clam Of the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of a turbine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 represents a section on line 33 of Fig. 1, the rotor being shown in side ele- VatiOn. Fig. a represents a section on line 44 of Fig. 1.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings :a represents a casing, the central portion of which forms a rotor ircular inner wall concentric with the periphery of the rotor hereinafter described. Through said wall extends a nozzle 13 arranged at a tangent to the circular inner Wall, and adapted to conduct a working agent such as air under high pressure and a very low temperature, tangcntmlly into the rotor chamber. The

bore of the nozzle may be either cylindrical v or tapered to decrease its diameter at its inner end. We have shown two nozzles 13 located at diametrically opposite sides of the rotor chamber, and it is obvious that any desired number of nozzles may be employed. The casing is preferably provided with two fixed internal flanges or abutments 1 14 at opposite sides of the rotor andforming the sides of the rotor chamber. A shaft 0 is journaled in bearings Z) in the heads of the casing, said bearings preferably ineluding thrust members 17 between which are interposed antifriction balls A rotor cl 1S aiiixed to the shaft ard has a circular periphery concentric with the wall of the rotor chamber.

The preferred construction of the rotor 'is as follows: 180 represents a hub keyed --to the shaft and provided with outwardly ranged relatively to an concentric with the shaft and between v projecting spaced-apart flanges 1f) having circular outer margins which form the periphery of the rotor, said flanges formin the flanges 19 and extend across the. space 20. The buckets are tangentially ai-.

latter and the periphery of the rotor, preferred inclination of the buckets being as shown by Figs. 3 and a. The buckets are preferably thin metal blades curv shown to present con ave deileeti to a jet of the Working agent deli.

1 the nozzle 13. From the bottom oftlie anconduit portions or passages 29. err.

nular space or conduit portion 30, lateral nd in opposite directions through the sides of the rotor, said passages, four of Whi shown, (although the number ma greater or less), being formed in th 180. v V

The hub is elongated. as shown by Fig.

imaginary circle 'ing the sides of an annular space 20 con stituting the outer portion of an exhaust ed by the- 1, so that its length is considerably greater per than the width of the annular conduit tion 20. This elongation of the hub vides suflicient material to compensate for the interruptions of the continuity of the hub by the passages 22, so that these passages, extended as shown inwardly through the hub into the closest possible proximity to the shaft, do not materially weaken the hub. The iunensides of the rotor flanges l9 are oppdsitely inclined so that the annular conduit portion 20 increases in width from the periphery of the rotor inwardly as shbwu i by' Fig. 1, and the lateral conduit portionsipreferably increase in diameter from their inner ends outwardly, provision being thus made for the expansion of the working agent after it passes the buckets.

It will now be seen that the working agent after impinging on the buckets and imparting rotation to the rotor, is directed inwardly by the buckets and guided by' the annular conduit portion 20 inwardly in a plane perpendicular to the rotor'axis, and then outwardly by the lateral passages or conduit portions 22, in opposite directions and in paths substantially parallel with and close to the axis.

The working agent exhausts partly in liquid form as liquid oxygen, and partly in gaseous form, into exhaust chambers 25 formed by the extended end portions of the casing at opposite sides of the rotor. These chambers are provided with gas outlets 26 in their upper portions, and liquid ,outlets 28 in their lower portions through which the gas and liquid oxygen pass from the casing.

The exhaust chambers 25 are of uniform shape and capacity. The gas outlets 26 and liquid outlets 28 are preferably arranged respectively at the upper and lower portions of the casing as shown in Fig. 1,so as to obtain as great a dillerence in direction of the liquefied and unliquefied particles of gas as possible, in order to effect a complete separation of the liquid and gas. The mixture of liquefied and unliqueficd gas leaves the rotor as near the shaft as possible and in paths substantially parallel with the shaft. The tendency of the liquefied particles to resist any change in direction of flow is greater than the tendency of the unliquefied particles,-owing to the fact that the momentum of a given volume of liquefied gas is seven hundred and fifty times the momentum of an equal volume of unliquefied gas, its mass bemg seven hundred and fifty times greater. Now, as the particles lose their velocity and therefore, their momentum, while moving parallel with the shaft, the unliquefied particles having less momentum readily yield to a change of direction of flow and rise to the top of the exhaust chambers and pass out atthe outlets 26. The particles of liquefied gas, having a much greater momentum than the unliquefied particles, continue in the original path parallel to the shaft, thuh separating themselves for the direction of flow of the unliquefied particles and strike the outer sides of the exhaust chambers and fall by gravity to the liquid outlets 28.

The advantages of the described provisions for conductin the working agent from the buckets througfi the rotor first inwardly in a plane perpendicular to the axis, and then laterally in paths substantially parallel with the axis, and discharging the exhaust into chambers at opposite sides of the rotor and in as close proximity to said axis, are the reduction to the minimum of the velocity of whirl of the working agent and of its friction on the guiding surfaces, the equalization of the exhaust pressure on the rotor, and the elimination of end thrust. The advantages of the curvature of the buckets are maximum efficiency in utilizin the impact of the working agent, and in eflecting the working agent inwardly. The inner walls of the lateral passages 22 are preferably inclined from the points 27, and curved between said points and the sides or ends of, the hub, to deflect the exhaust working agent outwardly with the minimum of friction. We claim 1. A turbine comprising a casing having a circular rotor chamber and a nozzle tangential to the inner wall of the rotor chamher, and adapted to direct a working agent thereinto, a shaft journaled in said casing, and a rotor on said shaft having tangential buckets at its periphery formed and arranged to receive the impact of the working agent and to deflect the same inwardly toward the rotor axis and an exhaust conduit formed to guide the deflected working agent first inwardly in a plane perpendicular to the axis, and then outwardly from opposite sides of the rotor in paths substantially'parallel with and in close proximity to the axis, said conduit being formed to permit the expansion of the working agent during its inward passage through the rotor, the casing also having exhaust chambers of uniform size at opposite sides of the rotor.

2. A turbine comprising a casing having a circular rotor chamber and a nozzle tangential to the inner wall of the rotor cham- 'firstinwardly in a plane perpendicular to the axis, and then outwardly from opposite sides of the rotor in paths substantially parallel with and in close proximity to the axis, said conduit being formed topermit the expansion of the working agent during its inward passage through the rotor, the casing also having exhaust chambers of uniform size at opposite sides of the rotor, gas

outlets at the upper portions of said chambers, and liquid. outlets at the lower portions of the chambers.

3. In a turbine of the character described, a rotor comprising an elongated shaft-receiving hub, flanges projecting outwardly from the hub and forming the sides of an annular exhaust conduit portion which is open at the periphery of the rotor and has its bottom formed by the hub, said annular portion being in a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis and increasing in width from its outer margin inwardly, lateral exhaust conduit portions extending in opposite directions from the bottom of said annular portion through the sides of the hub in close proximity to the axis and substantially parallel therewith, and tangential buckets in said annular conduit portion formed and arranged to deflect a working agent into said conduit.

4. In a turbine of the character described, a rotor comprising an elongated shaft-receiving hub, flanges projecting outwardly from the hub and forming the sides of an annular exhaust conduit port-ion which is open at the periphery of the rotor and has its bottom formed by the hub, said annular portion being in a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis and increasing in width from its outer margin inwardly, lateral exhaust conduitportions extending in opposite directions from the bottom of said annular portion through the sides of the hub in close proximity to the axis and substantially parallel therewith, and tangential buckets in said annular conduit portion formed and arranged to deflect a working agent into said conduit, the buckets being curved and having concave deflecting faces.

5. A turbine comprising a casing having a rotor chamber, a nozzle tangential to the wall of the rotor chamber, and adapted to c direct a working agent thereinto, and ex haust chambers at opposite sides of the rotor chamber, a shaft journaled in the eas ing, and a rotor on said shaft having tangential buckets at its periphery formed and a rrangcd to receive the impact of the Working agent and to deflect the same inwardly toward the rotor axis, and an exhaust conduit adapted to guide the deflected working agent first inwardly in a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis and then laterally from opposite sides oi the rotor and simultaneously into said exhaust chambers, said conduit increasing in width from its outer margin inwardly to permit the expansion of the working agent.

A turbine comprising a casing having a rotor chamber, a nozzle tangential to the wall of the rotor chamber, and adapted to direct a working agent thereinto, and exhaust chambers at opposite sides of the rotor chamber,.a shaft journaled in the casing, and a rotor on said shaft having tangential lnickcts at its periphery formed and arranged to receive the impact or the working agent and to deflect the same inwardly toward the rotor axis, and an exhaust conduit adapted to guide the deflected working agent first inwardly in a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis and then laterally from opposite sides of the rotor and simultaneously into said exhaust chambers, said conduit increasin in width from its outer margin inwardly to permit the expansion of the working agent said buckets being curved to form concave deflecting faces.

In testimony whereof we have aiiixed our signatures, in the presence of two witnesses.

,l ARLES F. CROMMETT. ORRIN J. GROMMETT. \Vi tnesses C. F. BROWN, P. \V. Pnzzntrri. 

